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As always, thanks to Jacci for editing this so long ago lol. Also, thanks to all those who reveiwed, hope you like this chap
Consciousness slowly came back to the trapped man. His ears were ringing, his head was throbbing, his vision blurred. After a few seconds, his memory returned like a sledgehammer.
“Hold on tight, and whatever you do, don’t stay here. Run as far as you can. Am I understood?” ... “Just promise me you’ll get away, please Jarod? I don’t want to be the one responsible for your death at the Centre.”
“Miss Parker!” Jarod yelled out, panicking, he turned in his seat to look at his huntress.
Oh my God!
“Miss Parker, can you hear me?!”
Undoing his seatbelt, Jarod grabbed a hold of the steering wheel frantically trying to pull himself closer to her.
She was a mangled mess. Her hair covering her face, sticking to the places coved in blood. Her body slumped against the seatbelt which was holding her up. The trees were pushing into her, sticks had embedded themselves into her arms and sides. Her shoulder looked dislocated. Her leg was broken, the bone sticking out, and was twisted unnaturally. There were gashes and bruises all over her bloody body.
Checking her pulse and lifting her eyelids, Jarod desperately called her name a few more times.
“Miss Parker, please wake up, Miss Parker, can you hear me?” Jarod was finally rewarded with a moan and fluttering of her lids.
“Jar-rod?” Miss Parker asked weakly.
A broad smile covered his face. “Yes Parker, it’s me.”
“My stomach hurts.” Miss Parker whined.
Using his hand, Jarod pressed firmly over her abdominal, concluding she was bleeding internally.
“Your bleeding internally, we need to get you to the hospital or even the...”
“Jarod go!” Miss Parker ordered softly.
“No, I’m staying, I’m not leaving you.”
“Please...” Parker blacked out.
“Parker...Parker!!”
Jarod started panicking, she wasn’t answering him again. She was in serious condition. He need to get help and fast! He couldn’t move her, that would cause more harm then good.
Before he could even think of doing anything, Jarod heard faint sounds of engines.
His heart started to beat faster, sweat was forming, Jarod was terrified. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Jarod didn’t know what to do. Stay, help Miss Parker and get caught, facing a fate worse then death. Or run, run as far as he can and pray to the heavens that she would live. What ever he decided, he better do it quickly. They were in sight now.
How could he chose between his precious freedom and his only love? Why did the god’s persist in torturing him this way? It almost killed him making the choice to run and abandon her when she so desperately needed him. But there really wasn’t much he could do for her now, help was on its way. Jarod couldn’t think of anything else as his survival instincts took over. Smashing his window which amazingly wasn’t in a thousand pieces already, the frightened pretender climbed out. Slicing his flesh and heart as he went. Jarod was positive that he left a piece of his soul, a piece of himself behind.
Running as fast as his broken body could take him, Jarod ran towards the woods. Never looking back, in fear that he would bolt right back to her.
God forgive me- no-one else will!
Changing directions suddenly, Jarod run towards the Centre. If he couldn’t stay with her, he would at least watch over her.
#######
Climbing into the ventilation system, Jarod paused to figure out where they would take her.
Renewal wing.
It has the best surgical facility in the Centre. Jarod started to climb down the vents, stubbornly ignoring the slight sting of pain his body was giving, the pain trying to get past all the adrenaline in his system to let him know the seriousness of his injuries. He just needed to find Parker, make sure she was still alive.
There!! She was already prepped for surgery. The doctors and nurses were placing tubes in her, covering her mouth with the mask. From his hiding place in the vents, the pretender could see everything.
God! She looks so vulnerable, so defenseless, so... lifeless!!!
They cut deep into her skin, revealing her insides for the whole world to see. Blood was every where, people scurried about trying to keep her alive. Her shoulder was still dislocated, her leg was in a makeshift splint.
Jarod couldn’t bare to watch it anymore, turning his head away, he couldn’t stop the tears from coming.
This is all my fault! I shouldn't have pushed her to remember the little girl who gave me my first kiss. I shouldn’t have made her feel guilty. I shouldn’t have made her cry!
The cessation of the beeping of the heart monitoring machine made Jarod turn his head back to the surgery.
“She’s flat lining people!” The doctor yelled at the people in the room.
Jarod heard the doctor ordering the nurses to pump her full of medicine, ordering to get the gel. Then ordering “Clear!”
Three times later and she still was flat lining.
Each time the shock coursed through her lifeless body, Jarod could feel them as well, he was sick with grief and guilt
“I’m sorry Mr Parker, there’s nothing we can do.”
Oh god...oh god...what have I done!
Jarod couldn’t stay any longer, they had called out the time of death. If he stayed, they would hear the gut wrenching sobs that were about to escape his lips.
He needed help. He needed comfort. He needed to be told this wasn’t his fault. He needed Refuge.
######
Jarod crawled through the vents, stopping at Sydney’s office. Softly opening the covering, Jarod climbed down, shutting it behind him. Finding the darkest corner he could, Jarod limped over, sitting down. Grabbing his knees and bringing them to his chest, the man cried whilst he rocked back and forth.
#######
“Mr Broots, Dr Sydney, I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but Miss Parker didn’t make it.” The doctor who had preformed the surgery stated to the worried men.
“Thank you doctor.” Sydney said automatically. Spotting Sam, the men walked over.
“I’m sorry sir, we tried the best we could to get her out of the car. But it took too long.”
“It’s alright Sam, this isn’t your fault.”
“Your right, it’s your pet's fault!” Sam growled. He was going to kill Jarod as soon as he could get his hands on the man.
Taken aback, Sydney asked confused, “Why?”
“Jarod was in the car. The cleaners said that Miss Parker was bringing him in, he must have caught sight of the Centre and panicked, grabbing the steering wheel to try and swerve off the road so he could escape. But Miss Parker pulled it back her way as a reaction, causing the car to crash into the tree on her side.”
“How d-did they work t-this out?” Broots asked. Neither believing Jarod would do such a stupid or selfish thing.
“His finger prints are all over the steering wheel. The cuffs are still attached to the door on his side. Mark my words, I will track him down and kill him. Torture him so bad, he will be begging for his death!” Sam finished, walking off, muttering one more time, “Mark my words.”
#######
“Syd, I’m going home, I think you should to.” Broots said to the elder man, concern clearly apparent in his voice. Broots wanted to stay with Sydney, but he was torn by his need to see his daughter
“Thank you for your concern Broots, but I think I would rather just go to my office and think. What are you going to tell your daughter?”
It didn't pass Broots' attention that he referred to Debbie as his daughter, this was very unlike Sydney. “The truth. That Miss Parker was in a car accident and was killed. Sydney, she’s going to be devastated, Miss Parker was like a mother to her!”
“If you like, I can come with you?” Sydney offered his support. He need something that would stop him from thinking about what had just happened. He didn't want to process the information he was given about Miss Parker's death.
“It’s ok Syd, you need time to yourself. Will you be ok?”
“Honestly? I don’t know.”
#######
Entering his office, Sydney heard soft crying. Following the noise, Sydney noticed Jarod rocking in the corner.
“Jarod?” Sydney asked.
“It’s all my fault!” Jarod wailed.
That one mournful cry that escaped the anguished man’s lips confirmed everything Sydney was trying to denied. How could the Psychiatrist ignore the facts of his adoptive daughters death, when the man that was supposably responsible, was on his floor crying out that it was all true? All of a sudden, the numbness and denial the man was feeling dissipated being replaced with anger, rage, hatred so strong Sydney lashed out at the devastated man.
“Your damned right it is.” Sydney growled back, his voice full of anger and sadness.
“I’m so sorry Sydney! I didn’t want it to happen, but it did!” Jarod cried out, “She’s dead Sydney, I killed her!”
“How could you do it Jarod? I understand you panicking, but why did you run?”
“I saw them coming and I started to run before I could think about it.”
“So you left her there to bleed to death?” Sydney hissed at the younger man.
“No!... Yes!... I didn’t want to but I couldn’t stop running! Please Sydney, I didn’t mean it!”
“You didn’t mean what?" Sydney’s voiced was raising, "You did not mean for the car to crash? You did not mean for her to get hurt?” Sydney caught himself and lowered himself to a deadly whisper, not wanting to alert the sweepers, “Or you did not mean to abandon her?”
“All of it. I didn’t want her to die, I swear!” Jarod sobbed.
“Well now you don’t have to worry about her chasing you!” Sydney said coldly, accusingly.
“Oh Sydney, please!” Jarod begged.
“No! You’re a pretender, you should have pretended to care enough to save her!” Sydney was consumed by hatred of this man. “You should have stayed, you should have stabilised her! But instead you ran away, abandoning her. Just like you did when you ran away from here! Jarod, how could you leave her in her hour of need!” Sydney’s anger left as quickly as it came. “How could you Jarod?”
Jarod just shook his head sadly before resting it on his folded knees.
“Get up Jarod.” Sydney ordered with a blank face, in an emotionless voice.
Slowly, Jarod obeyed, wincing in pain, a brief flicker of fear flashed in his eyes. This was a side of Sydney he never wish to see again.
“I’m sorry Sydney, I truly am.”
“Go out to my car, I’m parked on the south side, be discreet.” With that, Sydney left the distraught man to find his own way out of the Centre without being caught.
“Hold on tight, and whatever you do, don’t stay here. Run as far as you can. Am I understood?” ... “Just promise me you’ll get away, please Jarod? I don’t want to be the one responsible for your death at the Centre.”
“Miss Parker!” Jarod yelled out, panicking, he turned in his seat to look at his huntress.
Oh my God!
“Miss Parker, can you hear me?!”
Undoing his seatbelt, Jarod grabbed a hold of the steering wheel frantically trying to pull himself closer to her.
She was a mangled mess. Her hair covering her face, sticking to the places coved in blood. Her body slumped against the seatbelt which was holding her up. The trees were pushing into her, sticks had embedded themselves into her arms and sides. Her shoulder looked dislocated. Her leg was broken, the bone sticking out, and was twisted unnaturally. There were gashes and bruises all over her bloody body.
Checking her pulse and lifting her eyelids, Jarod desperately called her name a few more times.
“Miss Parker, please wake up, Miss Parker, can you hear me?” Jarod was finally rewarded with a moan and fluttering of her lids.
“Jar-rod?” Miss Parker asked weakly.
A broad smile covered his face. “Yes Parker, it’s me.”
“My stomach hurts.” Miss Parker whined.
Using his hand, Jarod pressed firmly over her abdominal, concluding she was bleeding internally.
“Your bleeding internally, we need to get you to the hospital or even the...”
“Jarod go!” Miss Parker ordered softly.
“No, I’m staying, I’m not leaving you.”
“Please...” Parker blacked out.
“Parker...Parker!!”
Jarod started panicking, she wasn’t answering him again. She was in serious condition. He need to get help and fast! He couldn’t move her, that would cause more harm then good.
Before he could even think of doing anything, Jarod heard faint sounds of engines.
His heart started to beat faster, sweat was forming, Jarod was terrified. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Jarod didn’t know what to do. Stay, help Miss Parker and get caught, facing a fate worse then death. Or run, run as far as he can and pray to the heavens that she would live. What ever he decided, he better do it quickly. They were in sight now.
How could he chose between his precious freedom and his only love? Why did the god’s persist in torturing him this way? It almost killed him making the choice to run and abandon her when she so desperately needed him. But there really wasn’t much he could do for her now, help was on its way. Jarod couldn’t think of anything else as his survival instincts took over. Smashing his window which amazingly wasn’t in a thousand pieces already, the frightened pretender climbed out. Slicing his flesh and heart as he went. Jarod was positive that he left a piece of his soul, a piece of himself behind.
Running as fast as his broken body could take him, Jarod ran towards the woods. Never looking back, in fear that he would bolt right back to her.
God forgive me- no-one else will!
Changing directions suddenly, Jarod run towards the Centre. If he couldn’t stay with her, he would at least watch over her.
#######
Climbing into the ventilation system, Jarod paused to figure out where they would take her.
Renewal wing.
It has the best surgical facility in the Centre. Jarod started to climb down the vents, stubbornly ignoring the slight sting of pain his body was giving, the pain trying to get past all the adrenaline in his system to let him know the seriousness of his injuries. He just needed to find Parker, make sure she was still alive.
There!! She was already prepped for surgery. The doctors and nurses were placing tubes in her, covering her mouth with the mask. From his hiding place in the vents, the pretender could see everything.
God! She looks so vulnerable, so defenseless, so... lifeless!!!
They cut deep into her skin, revealing her insides for the whole world to see. Blood was every where, people scurried about trying to keep her alive. Her shoulder was still dislocated, her leg was in a makeshift splint.
Jarod couldn’t bare to watch it anymore, turning his head away, he couldn’t stop the tears from coming.
This is all my fault! I shouldn't have pushed her to remember the little girl who gave me my first kiss. I shouldn’t have made her feel guilty. I shouldn’t have made her cry!
The cessation of the beeping of the heart monitoring machine made Jarod turn his head back to the surgery.
“She’s flat lining people!” The doctor yelled at the people in the room.
Jarod heard the doctor ordering the nurses to pump her full of medicine, ordering to get the gel. Then ordering “Clear!”
Three times later and she still was flat lining.
Each time the shock coursed through her lifeless body, Jarod could feel them as well, he was sick with grief and guilt
“I’m sorry Mr Parker, there’s nothing we can do.”
Oh god...oh god...what have I done!
Jarod couldn’t stay any longer, they had called out the time of death. If he stayed, they would hear the gut wrenching sobs that were about to escape his lips.
He needed help. He needed comfort. He needed to be told this wasn’t his fault. He needed Refuge.
######
Jarod crawled through the vents, stopping at Sydney’s office. Softly opening the covering, Jarod climbed down, shutting it behind him. Finding the darkest corner he could, Jarod limped over, sitting down. Grabbing his knees and bringing them to his chest, the man cried whilst he rocked back and forth.
#######
“Mr Broots, Dr Sydney, I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but Miss Parker didn’t make it.” The doctor who had preformed the surgery stated to the worried men.
“Thank you doctor.” Sydney said automatically. Spotting Sam, the men walked over.
“I’m sorry sir, we tried the best we could to get her out of the car. But it took too long.”
“It’s alright Sam, this isn’t your fault.”
“Your right, it’s your pet's fault!” Sam growled. He was going to kill Jarod as soon as he could get his hands on the man.
Taken aback, Sydney asked confused, “Why?”
“Jarod was in the car. The cleaners said that Miss Parker was bringing him in, he must have caught sight of the Centre and panicked, grabbing the steering wheel to try and swerve off the road so he could escape. But Miss Parker pulled it back her way as a reaction, causing the car to crash into the tree on her side.”
“How d-did they work t-this out?” Broots asked. Neither believing Jarod would do such a stupid or selfish thing.
“His finger prints are all over the steering wheel. The cuffs are still attached to the door on his side. Mark my words, I will track him down and kill him. Torture him so bad, he will be begging for his death!” Sam finished, walking off, muttering one more time, “Mark my words.”
#######
“Syd, I’m going home, I think you should to.” Broots said to the elder man, concern clearly apparent in his voice. Broots wanted to stay with Sydney, but he was torn by his need to see his daughter
“Thank you for your concern Broots, but I think I would rather just go to my office and think. What are you going to tell your daughter?”
It didn't pass Broots' attention that he referred to Debbie as his daughter, this was very unlike Sydney. “The truth. That Miss Parker was in a car accident and was killed. Sydney, she’s going to be devastated, Miss Parker was like a mother to her!”
“If you like, I can come with you?” Sydney offered his support. He need something that would stop him from thinking about what had just happened. He didn't want to process the information he was given about Miss Parker's death.
“It’s ok Syd, you need time to yourself. Will you be ok?”
“Honestly? I don’t know.”
#######
Entering his office, Sydney heard soft crying. Following the noise, Sydney noticed Jarod rocking in the corner.
“Jarod?” Sydney asked.
“It’s all my fault!” Jarod wailed.
That one mournful cry that escaped the anguished man’s lips confirmed everything Sydney was trying to denied. How could the Psychiatrist ignore the facts of his adoptive daughters death, when the man that was supposably responsible, was on his floor crying out that it was all true? All of a sudden, the numbness and denial the man was feeling dissipated being replaced with anger, rage, hatred so strong Sydney lashed out at the devastated man.
“Your damned right it is.” Sydney growled back, his voice full of anger and sadness.
“I’m so sorry Sydney! I didn’t want it to happen, but it did!” Jarod cried out, “She’s dead Sydney, I killed her!”
“How could you do it Jarod? I understand you panicking, but why did you run?”
“I saw them coming and I started to run before I could think about it.”
“So you left her there to bleed to death?” Sydney hissed at the younger man.
“No!... Yes!... I didn’t want to but I couldn’t stop running! Please Sydney, I didn’t mean it!”
“You didn’t mean what?" Sydney’s voiced was raising, "You did not mean for the car to crash? You did not mean for her to get hurt?” Sydney caught himself and lowered himself to a deadly whisper, not wanting to alert the sweepers, “Or you did not mean to abandon her?”
“All of it. I didn’t want her to die, I swear!” Jarod sobbed.
“Well now you don’t have to worry about her chasing you!” Sydney said coldly, accusingly.
“Oh Sydney, please!” Jarod begged.
“No! You’re a pretender, you should have pretended to care enough to save her!” Sydney was consumed by hatred of this man. “You should have stayed, you should have stabilised her! But instead you ran away, abandoning her. Just like you did when you ran away from here! Jarod, how could you leave her in her hour of need!” Sydney’s anger left as quickly as it came. “How could you Jarod?”
Jarod just shook his head sadly before resting it on his folded knees.
“Get up Jarod.” Sydney ordered with a blank face, in an emotionless voice.
Slowly, Jarod obeyed, wincing in pain, a brief flicker of fear flashed in his eyes. This was a side of Sydney he never wish to see again.
“I’m sorry Sydney, I truly am.”
“Go out to my car, I’m parked on the south side, be discreet.” With that, Sydney left the distraught man to find his own way out of the Centre without being caught.
